Gravity-conveyer.



No. 872,856. PATENTBD DEC. 3, 1907. G. H. SPENGE.

GRAVITY GONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1907-.

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No. 872,856. PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

. H. SPENGE.

G TY GONVEYBR.

PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

C. H. SPENCE- GRAVITY CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY31, 1907.

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not to interfere with free movement in case CHARLES HENRY SPENOE, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

GRAVITY-CONVE YER.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed July 31. 1907. Serial No. 386392.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Sr1cNcE, a citizen of the United States, residlng at St.

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Gravity-Conveyor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gravity conveyors and has for its principal object to provide a conveyer section to be used where the articles being delivered are to be conveyed around a curve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a curved conveyer section which may be conveniently placed between two straight conx'eyers where the articles must travel in an indirect path to a point of delivery.

A still further object of the invention is to prowide a curved conveyer section having frusto-conical rollers which are arranged in staggered order and held out of contact with each other in order to permit independent rcvoluble movement and in which the diameter of the rollers gradually increases from the side of small radius to the side of larger radius.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a structure in which a series of spaced shafts radiating from a common center are each provided with spaced rollers all of frusto-eonical form, the diameters of the rollers gradually increasing on radial lines from the common center, while the uppersurfaces of all of the rolls of each shaft are disposed in a common horizontal plane, so that the surface speedwill be greatest at the outer side of the conveyer.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction of conveyor in which the shafts are mounted in suitable ball bearings, so that they may freely turn with the rollers or independent of the rollers in order olillefof the rollers should tend to bind on the s a t.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter a pear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the i structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawingsz-Figure 1 is a plan view of a curved conveyer constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same drawn to an enlarged scale. .ig. 3 is a detail sectional viewon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the conveyer showing more particularly the detachin g means for connection to'an adjacent conveyer section. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the application of the invention to a straight conveyor section. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs.

The conveyer forming the subject of the present invention is designed principally for use as a detachable section to be placed between two straight conveyers where articles are to be delivered in other than a straight line, and provision is made for readily connecting and disconnecting, as required.

The main frame comprises two side bars 10 and 11 preferably formed of, or including upper and lower channel bars, the side bars being both struck from the same center, and the inner bar 10 being of less radius than the outer bar. These bars are provided at intervals with plates or blocks 15 which carry ball races 16 and between the bars extend shafts 17 the axes of which are arranged on lines struck from the center from which the curves of the side bars are struck, and all of those shafts are disposed at a slight angle to the horizontal, their outer ends being lowermost. Each shaft carries a ball race 18 between which and the ball race 16 are arranged anti-friction balls in order to permit free turning of the shafts, and these ball races are protected by suitable caps 19 which may be removed when necessary. Mounted on the shafts are rollers 20, all of the rollers being referably formed of hard Wood, boiled in ta low, and a number of such rollers being placed on each shaft. In the present instance, each alternate shaft carries three rollers, and each intermediate shaft two rollers. The rollers are spaced from each other by sleeves 22 so the rollers on one shaft are held from 'contact shaft being much smaller than the roller- .at the outer end, so that the surface speed of the conveyer gradually increases toward theouter or larger'end. The upper surfaces plane of the conveyer.

of the rolls of each shaft are arran ed in a common horizontal plane, so that t e articles being unloaded will not be tippgd side wise as they travel over the rollers, t s being of importance from the fact that the conveyer may thus be more readily connected to and more effectually operated in connection with ordinary stralght' conveyers or chutes. I

'In order to prevent accidental dislodgment of articles when they strike the. curved portion of the conveyer, the side railor bar 11 is provided with verticalposts 25 which carry a curved strip 26 having "0 enings LllTOU. h which project rollers 28, t e'axe's.

of WlHCh are at a right angle to the general These rollers are mounted in suitable bearings 27 and are so disposed that they may be engaged by articles that are carried on to the curved portion of the conveyer at abnormal speed.

At the opposite ends of the conveyer are looking bolts 30 which may be connected to pins 31 on the straight conveyer sections as.

The invention may, also, be applied to straight conveyer sections, as shown for instance in Figs. 5 and 6. In this case the rollers 20 are preferably cylindrical in form, but the.rollers of each of the shafts 17 are held in s aced relation by sleeves 22. The ends of tll ings in the side bars, while bothsides of the conveyer are rovidedwith the guarding and deflecting r01 ers 28 previously described.

I'claim: I 1. In a curved gravity conveyer, a l rality of radially arranged shafts, a plura 't of frusto-conical rollers arranged on eac shaft, and spacing means on the shafts for e shafts are mounted in ball bearin through openings in said str1p.

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holding flfi h roller 'O if others. Y

2. In a curved gravit conveyer, a In. rality of radially arrange shafts, a plum 't of frusto conical rollers arranged on eac shaft, slpacing means on the shafts for hold: ing eac roller from contact withthe others, the rollers of each shaft I intersecting those of adjIacent shafts.

n a curved gravity conveyer,a series't 3.- of. radiall disposed shafts, a set offrusto conical ro ers arrangedon each shaft, spaci means on the shafts for holding each r0 er from contact with the others, and the rollers of each shaft intersecting the rollers of adjacent shafts." Y p 4. In curved gravity convevers, a plurality of radiall disposed shafts, a set of frusto-conical r0 ers arranged on each shaft, spacing sleeves "surrounding the shafts at points between the rollers, and means for supporting said shafts. i v

5. In curved gravity conveyors, a plu rality of radially arranged shafts, frusto' conical rollers mounted on the shafts, the up or or load carrying surfaces of all of the mon horizontal plane 6. Incurved gravity conve ers, a series of radially dis osed shafts, rusto-conicah rollers mounts on the shafts and ha 5 their uppersurfaces in a common horizonta plane, and spacing means between said rollers.

7. In a curved gravity conveyer, a pair of side bars, ball bearings supported thereby, radialshafts in said ball bearings, fru'stoconical rollers arranged on theshafts, spaced posts extending upward from the outer side v y the strip and ar, a curved strip carried by, said posts,-and' a seriesof rollers supported having portions of't eir peripheries extend testimon that I claim the foregoing v have hereto affixed my .s1gna turein the resence'of two witnesses, C LES HENRY-SPENQE.=

Witnesses: NELLI A. JoHNsorI, .1 'JosEPmE. MADDEN.- 

